different between nostrum vs elixir

English

Etymology

From Latin nostrum (“ours”), nominative neuter of noster (“our, ours”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?n?s.t??m/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?.st??m/
• (US)

Noun

nostrum (plural nostrums or nostra)

1. A medicine or remedy in conventional use which has not been proven to have any desirable medical effects.
   • 1890, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four

     I stammered out some few halting words of congratulation and then sat downcast, with my head drooped, deaf to the babble of our new acquaintance. He was clearly a confirmed hypochondriac, and I was dreamily conscious that he was pouring forth interminable trains of symptoms, and imploring information as to the composition and action of innumerable quack nostrums, some of which he bore about in a leather case in his pocket.

2. An ineffective but favorite remedy for a problem, usually involving political action.
   • 2009, A.C. Grayling, Ideas That Matter: A Personal Guide for the 21st Century:

     Neocons have far more interest in foreign policy than domestic policy. As regards the latter the reflex nostrums of right-wing attitudes apply: less tax, less government, libertarianism about matters such as gun control, encouragement of individual responsibility in health care and education, 'faith-based solutions' to social and welfare problems, and so forth.

   • 2011, Sean Corrigan, The Wasteland:

     With the glaring failure to predict even the possibility - much less circumstance - of the recent Crash and with the even more foreseeable failure of its tired old, rehashed nostrums of ending the slump by means of an inequitable programme of corporate welfare, inflationary "unorthodoxy", and the unleashing of the debt-spewing monster of the state to gorge itself upon such things as individuals and private concerns no longer care to consumer, it should hardly be controversial to asset that mainstream macroeconomics - and the reputations of the many panderers to power who practice it - are equally broken.

Coordinate terms

• cure-all
• panacea
• patent medicine
• snake oil

See also

• placebo

Translations

See also

• nostrum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Urmston

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?nos.trum/, [?n?s?t?????]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?nos.trum/, [?n?st??um]

Etymology 1

Inflected form of n?s (“we”).

Alternative forms

• nostr? (objective genitive)

Pronoun

nostrum

1. of us; partitive genitive of n?s

Etymology 2

Inflected form of noster (“our, ours”).

Pronoun

nostrum

1. nominative neuter singular of noster
2. accusative masculine singular of noster
3. accusative neuter singular of noster
4. vocative neuter singular of noster

Descendants

• English: nostrum

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic ????????????? (al-?iks?r), from Ancient Greek ?????? (x?ríon, “medicinal powder”), from ????? (x?rós, “dry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?ks?(?)/, /?-/, /-??(?)/
• Rhymes: -?ks?(?)

Noun

elixir (plural elixirs)

1. (alchemy) A liquid which converts lead to gold.
   • 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004, p. 59:

     For Chinese alchemists, gold held the key to the Elixir, the Eastern equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone.

2. (alchemy) A substance or liquid which is believed to cure all ills and give eternal life.
3. (by extension) The alleged cure for all ailments; cure-all, panacea.
   • 2015, The Boston Globe, Steven Pinker, The moral imperative for bioethics:

     The silver-bullet cancer cures of yesterday’s newsmagazine covers, like interferon and angiogenesis inhibitors, disappointed the breathless expectations, as have elixirs such as antioxidants, Vioxx, and hormone replacement therapy.

4. (pharmacy) A sweet flavored liquid (usually containing a small amount of alcohol) used in compounding medicines to be taken by mouth in order to mask an unpleasant taste.
   • 1906, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association (volume 47, pages 872-875)

     The subcommittee's report to the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry shows that the action of somnos is practically identical with that of a 5 per cent elixir of hydrated chloral.

Derived terms

• elixir of life

Translations

Asturian

Verb

elixir

1. to choose
2. to elect

Synonyms

• escoyer

Dutch

Etymology

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic ????????????? (al-?iks?r), from Ancient Greek ?????? (x?ríon, “medicinal powder”), from ????? (x?rós, “dry”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e??l?k.s?r/, /?e??l?k.s?r/
• Hyphenation: elixir

Noun

elixir n (plural elixirs, diminutive elixirtje n)

1. Alternative form of elixer

Derived terms

• maagelixir

Galician

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin eligo. Doublet of esleer.

Compare Portuguese eleger and Spanish elegir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?.li.??i?]

Verb

elixir (first-person singular present elixo, first-person singular preterite elixín, past participle elixido)

1. to choose, elect
   • 1418, Á. Rodríguez González (ed.), Libro do Concello de Santiago (1416-1422). Santiago de Compostela: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 85:

     para que dos ditos dose omes o dito señor arçobispo o a quel que seu poder para elo touvese tomase et eligise dous deles que os lle aprovuese et os dese por alcalles enna dita çidade en quel anno

     so that of that twelve men said lord archbishop, or anyone who his power has at the momment, takes and chooses two of them, and that he approves and gives them as mayors of said city for that year

   Synonym: escoller

Conjugation

Etymology 2

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic ????????????? (al-?iks?r), from Ancient Greek ?????? (x?ríon, “medicinal powder”), from ????? (x?rós, “dry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?.lik.?si?]

Noun

elixir m (plural elixires)

1. elixir

References

• “eligir” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “elig” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
• “elexir” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “elixir” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “elixir” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Portuguese

Noun

elixir m (plural elixires)

1. (alchemy) elixir (liquid which was believed to turn non-precious metals to gold)
2. (fiction) a magical potion

Romanian

Etymology

From French élixir

Noun

elixir n (plural elixire)

1. elixir

Declension

Spanish

Noun

elixir m (plural elixires)

1. Alternative spelling of elíxir